LAND

1. Location, Size and Price

Tiny homes can be built anywhere as long as construction follows state building codes. Some states even allow homeowners to build micro homes in their backyards. However, a lot of tiny homeowners don’t have pre-owned properties to use for construction. Use online real estate sites to find land based on location; just search within a designated city under home type: lots/land.

Search for comparable properties online to determine typical ratios of home square footage to land size. A home that is 100-400 square feet requires far less property than the average 2,500-square-foot home. Regardless of home size, land sizes vary in price based on location. Typical tiny house proponents stray from city centers, as the land is more expensive and prone to complicated code laws. Further, most tiny homeowners are advocates of eco-friendly lifestyles and therefore prefer more rural locales.

2. Consider Zoning Laws

Tiny home builders may be automatically looking for small plots, but states require a certain amount of land for people to live and build on legally. Review state zoning laws to determine the subdivisions and restrictions in a potential area. Tiny homeowners should examine city documents to understand potential long-term neighborhood development plans prior to purchasing land. Most people don’t want to live next to an interstate or strip mall, and knowing about those types of changes helps weed out bad investments.

3. Find an Experienced Agent

Search for a real estate professional who can aid in a tiny land search. There are agents who specialize in niche markets – tiny homes included. Make sure to check up on an agent’s qualifications before hiring them to ensure they are the best fits for tiny house searches. While these steps won’t guarantee the perfect plot for tiny home construction, they certainly help homeowners get started.

6 Places to Shop for Land Online

While this isn’t an exhaustive list, it should get you started. Keep in mind that inventory on these sites changes everyday so if you don’t find what your’re looking for right away, don’t give up. Many tiny house owners spend a lot of time looking for that perfect piece of land.

Land Watch

With one of the largest selections currently available online, coupled with an excellent search mechanism, Land Watch is my top pick for online sources to look for rural land. If you want waterfront property or a spot amongst the trees for instance, you will have an easy time rarifying your search to hone in on those kinds of locations.

Additionally, Land Watch is one of the few websites that offers a selection of international land to choose from, for those of you whose tiny house dreams are likely to take you overseas. They also have an excellent deals section, with land that you can secure for as little as $500 down.

Lands of America

A useful feature on Lands of America is their directory of real estate agents around the country who specialize in rural land. It could be to your advantage to work with a real estate agent, because they have the expertise to help you source a plot that is the right size to meet your needs and in the location where you want to live, while avoiding the pitfalls that many inexperienced land buyers are likely to encounter. They’ll charge a commission, of course, but avoiding the headache of spending hours and hours shopping on your own, and then doing the follow-up with sellers to boot, could be well worth it.

Land Leader

Also specializing in rural land for homesteader wannabes, hunters and new generation farmers, Land Leader is another great place to start your search. Many of the plots in their selection are on the larger side of the spectrum, so if you’re not in the market for a section and a half to start a unicorn ranch, make sure to restrict your search results by acreage.

Land and Farm

If your dream is to get back to the land with your own farmstead, then Land and Farm could be the ideal site for you to begin your search. You may even be able to lease an existing farm and try your hand at your new way of life before laying down a fortune.

Make sure to take note of how each plot is zoned, to ensure that you’re taking stock of land that can legally be used in the way that you intend. Some locations, for example, are suitable for occasional hunting and camping, but building a tiny home would not be permitted.

LoopNet

Though they specialize in commercial real estate, Loop Net also has a wide selection of farmland and rural land zoned for residential use. Many of the spots available for sale feature video footage, offering a better sense of what it might feel like to be on the property in person.

Zillow

Growing in popularity all the time, Zillow has become one of the first places people think of to look for homes available for sale or for rent – this means that you will find a massive selection, made up by scads of private sellers as well as real estate agents around the country. Their built-in analytics also give a good sense of how pricing markets behave around the country.

Much of the land they have on offer is being sold because of foreclosure, and may be slated for an upcoming auction or available at a rock bottom set price. Make sure to take advantage of the search criteria available on the website to narrow your options down to exactly what you’re looking for.